Study Identifies Gene That Fuels Growth of Spreading Pancreatic Cancers

A study spearheaded by Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists found that a gene called KLF5 “fuels the growth” of spreading pancreatic cancers by “altering chemical changes and organization of DNA, or epigenetics, that turns genes on and off.”

Research in 2017 found that “people with the most common form of pancreatic cancer has widespread epigenetic alterations, as opposed to new changes in the DNA code itself, or mutations, in their primary tumor that drove the cancer to metastasize to other parts of the body.” This study aimed to find the “most impactful genes associated with cancer cell growth.” The researchers used a gene-altering technology to “make cuts in DNA that silenced the genes in their investigative crosshairs,” and the genes that caused the “largest shutdown of cell growth” when turned off were considered most influential in cell growth.

KLF5 had the “greatest effect specifically promoting the growth and invasion of metastatic cells, and that 10 of 13 people with pancreatic cancer had increased KLF5 gene expression in at least one metastatic lesion compared with the primary tumors.” The gene also “controls the tight packaging of DNA, an epigenetic factor that enables genes to be turned on or off.”

The scientists then concluded that “slight changes in KLF5 expression levels in the metastatic group of cells appeared to make relatively larger changes in the cells’ ability to grow and spread.” This suggests the gene may “not need to be entirely shut down to have a positive effect” in treatment.